Girls practiced hula April 14 at Halau o 'Aulani, a Hawaiian cultural school in Arlington, Va.

WASHINGTON » It's a bright Sunday morning, and Gloria Borland is rushing her 10-year-old to hula class at Halau o ‘Aulani, a Hawaiian cultural school in Arlington, Va. Musicians in tiki-print shirts and Teva-brand sandals set up their steel guitars, and students with plastic plumeria flowers in their hair pull on yellow cotton skirts. Borland's daughter skips over to join a circle of dancers as her mother collapses into a chair, her arms filled with notes on President Barack Obama's formative years in Hawaii and several biographies stuffed with crinkled Post-it notes that read, "WRONG — IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN HAWAII."

When it comes to Obama, Borland wants the world to understand one thing: The president is a native son of Hawaii. She spent the past six years making "Barack Obama: Made in Hawaii," a two-hour documentary she hopes will set the record straight as Obama's legacy begins to take shape.

"President Obama is not an angry black man from Chicago. I mean, give me a break, he's a Hawaiian, with a Hawaiian temperament," says Borland, who was raised in Hawaii at about the same time as Obama and now lives in Washington's Dupont Circle neighborhood. Along with Washington's 10,000-strong Hawaiian community, she believes the 44th president's public narrative fails to highlight just how deeply Hawaiian culture has influenced both his personality and his policies.

"She is so passionate, on a serious mission, and we're really proud of her," says Wendell Yee, 65, who unpacks his ukulele and smiles gently as he watches Borland shuffle through her notes. "This really needed to happen."

The president's competing biographical narratives are apparent in the wrangling over which state will get to host Obama's official presidential library when his second term ends. Will it be the sun-dappled Pacific island where he was born and raised, graduating from Hono­lulu's prestigious Punahou School? Or the chilly metropolis on Lake Michigan where he worked as a young community organizer and later served as a senator?

For Borland, what does it feel like to be obsessed — possessed — with the belief that an important part of history is being ignored? For the Hawaiian community in Washington, it's a little like this: "Did you know that Obama's daughter is named ‘Malia'? Malia is a common Hawaiian name," says Borland, her voice rising. "Go to any school in Hawaii, any classroom, and you'll find a girl named Malia."

Borland's own preteen daughter, Imi­loa, has been her secret weapon in getting exclusive interviews with Obama's childhood friends. She recites facts even quicker than her mother. "Did you know most kids' books on Obama leave out his Hawaiian story?" she asks as her mother exhibits Obama's page in a book called "U.S. Presidents" that makes no mention of Hawaii.

Borland finds such omissions "flabbergasting" and points out that they are not confined to children's books. The Obama biography video shown at the Demo­cratic National Convention in 2008, for example, didn't mention Hawaii.

"There's so much information that's wrong. It's all stereotypes, and I didn't want him to be misunderstood," says Borland, who's in the final stages of finishing her film. She says the documentary is educational rather than political. Funded mostly by her late parents, it cost about $300,000 to shoot, a figure that includes 42 interviews and 15 trips to Hawaii to talk to close friends and family of "Barry," as Obama was known in Hawaii. Borland, a media entrepreneur, has made the documentary her full-time job.

LIKE Obama, Borland comes from a fairly complex multi-ethnic background — known as "hapa," or mixed race, on the island — that took her around the world during her childhood. Her African-American father was originally from North Caro­lina, joined the Navy and was stationed in Japan, where he fell in love with her Japa­nese mother. They got married at a time when interracial marriage was a felony in about half of the country, Borland points out. They moved to Hawaii, which has no majority race (many people who live in Hawaii jokingly call themselves "chop suey") in 1967, when Borland was in sixth grade.

It's important to point out that neither Obama nor Borland has actual indigenous Hawaiian ancestors. But like many people who have lived on the island, they say their identity was shaped by Hawaii's multi-ethnic culture, where most families have members with various shades of skin and ethnic backgrounds.

"Back then it was really hard for mixed-race couples on the mainland," said Borland. "And in a mixed place like Hawaii, where (a large percentage) of the population are hapa — Japa­nese, Chinese, Filipino, Portuguese — my parents felt really comfortable."

OF COURSE, every presidential campaign spins its candidate's story, said John Hudak, a fellow and presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution. So Bill Clinton was not a Rhodes Scholar from Yale University. He was the boy from Hope, said Hudak. Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer, not an engineer.

"We like to relate to our presidents — and it's hard to relate to Hawaii," said Hudak. "So despite realities, Americans don't think of Hawaii as a tough place, but as a paradise, and that's one of major reasons we think of Obama as from Chicago. It's a narrative of plight, grit."

The "birther" controversy added to the confusion about Obama, said Robert Perkinson, a professor of American studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. "At the same time, a lot of people put Obama in a box as the first black president, which he is," said Perkinson, who is heading efforts to bring Obama's library to the island. "But in truth he's also the country's most cosmopolitan — that global part of his story doesn't get distilled into sound bites."

Borland says growing up in Hawaii was freeing and allowed her ambitions to flourish. "I always found the ‘one drop of blood rule means you're black' so stifling. I was like, ‘Don't pigeonhole me. I may look black, but I was raised with a Japa­nese mother eating Japa­nese white rice,'" she said in her apartment, which is filled with Japa­nese and Hawaiian art and furniture and pictures of her daughter surfing.

She came to the District of Columbia in the 1970s to work for Hawaii's Sen. Daniel Ino­uye, a Demo­crat, and later hosted a PBS program about black entrepreneurs that aired nationally. "Hawaii didn't have the ‘one drop' rule," she said. "If you are raised in an environment where everyone is a different color, you have a different sense of self-esteem. You are not boxed in."

Her film about Obama also debunks stereotypes about Hawaii itself, said Ronald Loui, a University of Illinois at Springfield computer science professor who was born and raised in Hawaii and went to school with Obama. It emphasizes, for example, the fact that Hawaii has a large military population.

"People from Hawaii are not just a bunch of yo-yo liberals smoking pot. We really care about national security. And Obama actually hung out with lots of military brats," said Loui, who donated $2,000 to help Borland finish the film.

After hula class at Halau o ‘Aulani, there's a Hawaiian potluck lunch. Its principal, Ku‘u­lei Stockman, says most mainlanders don't know that in the 1970s Hawaii became the first state in the country to provide near-universal health care, which heavily influenced Obama as a child.

"Or remember the ‘beer summit' — when Obama asked the police officer and professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. to drink a beer at a picnic table and talk over that arrest," coos Darlene Kehau­lani Butts, who is on the board of governors of the Hawai‘i State Society of Washington. "That was soooo Hawaiian: We call that hoo­pono­pono, or the ability to sit down and talk things out."

The table is filled with a mix of Hawaiian parents who chime in with other examples, all echoing Michelle Obama's famous quotation, "You can't really understand Barack until you understand Hawaii."

Then the mood turns serious. They urge Borland to eat more. She will need her strength, they say, to finish a film they all think needs to be made.

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kailua000wrote:

if that photo is not a f you hawaii you treated me like junk in high school look I dont know what is! LOL

on May 13,2013 | 02:27AM

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frontmanwrote:

The liar in chief............ when the truth about b hussein o really comes out, no one in Hawaii will admit knowing him, just like his high school and college years.

on May 13,2013 | 10:37AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

Oh give it rest crybaby.

on May 13,2013 | 11:00AM

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HD36wrote:

Don't say anything bad about Obama; don't mention the words freedom, liberty, austerity; don't criticize the mismanagement of fiscal policies; don't mention the destruction of the Constitution; or else the IRS, the strong arm of the government, will make your life miserable. Obama is the best, greatest and most intelligent part African American president the United States has ever had in history.

on May 13,2013 | 02:53PM

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haleiwalad1wrote:

Frontman, I believe you more closely resemble the back end of a horse, judging from the lameness of your comment...

on May 13,2013 | 03:32PM

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starripoffwrote:

haleiwalad1 you are resemble what comes out of the backend and you are the definition of lameness. frontman is 2000% correct. And every day "our" {shudder} narcissistic president keeps proving it over and over. The most amazing thing is the he lies with a straight face especially when there's video of him proving he's a liar. But don't expect SA to cover that. They're at his beck and call and drool just like the tourists in Kailua do whenveer they think they might be breathing the same air as his majesty.

on May 15,2013 | 08:32AM

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meatwrote:

agreed!

on May 13,2013 | 08:20PM

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LanaUlulaniwrote:

Exactly. Obama is NOT a "native son." The TRUE Native Sons are those local males like my brothers, cousins, and former classmates who work their a## off just to get ahead in Hawai'i yet are still treated as though they are 3rd class citizens in their own homeland! Auwe!

on May 13,2013 | 02:12PM

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kuewawrote:

The President wasn't exactly born into an ali`i family. He was raised by his grandparents in an apartment in Kuliouou, his grandmother sacrificed a lot to pay for his Punahou tuition. And you should know as well as I do that popolos definitely do not have any advantages in Hawai`i. So yeah, auwe for your friends and relatives if what you say is true, but no need talk stink about the President.

on May 13,2013 | 03:17PM

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kailua000wrote:

yes his grandmother that was the first female VP at Bank of Hawaii. they were not poor, they were not struggling. they were an average middle class family. I couldnt afford to send my kids to punahou with two jobs, so I dont want to hear about his hardships. he could afford to buy his pakololo now and the though! lol

on May 13,2013 | 05:52PM

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clum56wrote:

I agree, Hooponopno is what makes one to understand the culture of Hawai'i Nei along with the Aloha Spirit that comes from within. To know our president Barack one must first undersrand Hawai'i. He may be of Black decent, but he is still a son of the 50th State of the United States, Hawai'i Nei.......Aloha

on May 13,2013 | 02:42AM

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alliewrote:

Well he is and he is not.

on May 13,2013 | 07:23AM

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honopicwrote:

"Well" you are definitely not, allie. I have yet to read one word of aloha coming from you.

on May 13,2013 | 08:36AM

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BoneDrywrote:

allie go away!!! this is not a good subject for you!!!

on May 13,2013 | 10:26AM

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Toop_Minakiwrote:

are you saying there really is such a thing as a "good subject" for him?

on May 13,2013 | 10:40AM

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BoneDrywrote:

no, but whenever he opens his trap the discussion degrades to something completely off the topic.

on May 13,2013 | 10:51AM

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aomohoawrote:

True and unfortunate. It;s just so hard to not get annoyed.:)

on May 13,2013 | 07:35PM

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aomohoawrote:

Many people think allie is a fraud and not even female. If not he/she is not a liar December allie will be gone back to her tribe in ND. To her poverty stricken mother and I guess she doesn't have a father. If any of it is true she was not taught any respect of other people or other cultures.

on May 13,2013 | 07:34PM

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seriouswrote:

The story on Obama is not his stay in Hawaii, that is already documented. But the ten years after that?? That would be investigating reporting. Did he have friends? Girl friends, overseas trips--did he even go to Columbia? Where did he get the money for college and then Harvard?

on May 13,2013 | 02:00PM

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bekwellwrote:

Obama spent his time in Hawaii smoking pot, studying Lenin, and learning to be a racist. Why would anyone, except Chicago want to claim him?

on May 13,2013 | 03:26AM

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artmurchwrote:

Can you produce credible evidence to support those claims?

on May 13,2013 | 05:10AM

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Mana07wrote:

Ok die hard Obama supporter (artmurch)..It's in HIS book, it's in his ghost written dreams of my father book. You people that stick up for this guy regardless of the FACTS that stare you in the face nauseate me.

on May 13,2013 | 05:21AM

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inHilowrote:

Stay nauseated. Hope you enjoy the feeling; that's probably why you keep believing in the fantasy you've created. It's allows you to keep hating, which is easier than dealing with facts. I read the book in question, and bekwell's two sentences tell us nothing about it except to show us what is inside bekwell's head: an over simplified, cartoon character depiction of a pot smoking red, the evil Presidento Demento, half white and half black, who has learned how to hate both sides of himself while waiting patiently to move to Chicago, where everyone is a gangster. Oh, dear me, if only IronMan were here to PROTECT us.

on May 13,2013 | 06:56AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

In Hilo thank you for the post, these haters have nothing but hate poor tings yeah.

Of course I can. Tons of evidence. I used to be with the State Department

on May 13,2013 | 03:05PM

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alliewrote:

huh?

on May 13,2013 | 07:24AM

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peanutgallerywrote:

What a tragedy this guy has been.

on May 13,2013 | 03:35AM

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hanalei395wrote:

A tragedy for Republicans, that's for sure.

on May 13,2013 | 07:06AM

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Larry01wrote:

Yep. Sorry peanutgallery - even if you say something over and over, it still doesn't make it true.

on May 13,2013 | 10:26AM

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kispestwrote:

No, for our Country!

on May 13,2013 | 10:56AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

SAH

on May 13,2013 | 11:38AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

No sweetheart you are a tragedy,

on May 13,2013 | 11:37AM

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CartwrightParkwrote:

Let the POTUS bashing begin...SMH

on May 13,2013 | 05:07AM

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Mana07wrote:

Native Son? Really? So is every military kid, white kid, non-hawaiian kid "allegedly" born in Hawaii a native son?

on May 13,2013 | 05:18AM

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Mana07wrote:

Oops..I better be careful with my comments..the IRS might audit me

on May 13,2013 | 05:22AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

Why would they audit the likes of you? All that hate is making you sick....you illing

on May 13,2013 | 11:46AM

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honopicwrote:

Get off your birther kick, already. He was born in Hawai'i, which makes him a native son. Skin color or parents' profession don't matter. All that matter is where one takes that first breath of life.

on May 13,2013 | 08:41AM

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hanalei395wrote:

The Birthers are great entertainment, good fun. Hopefully, they'll be back.

on May 13,2013 | 08:49AM

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7yearTribulationwrote:

barry wasnt born here...why did he spend million$ to delay producing his doctored Queens birth certificate? more lies to cover up lies. One day it will all come out. Hes a front man helping to bring down America

on May 13,2013 | 11:21AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

What a dunce no what a parrot, parroting bs,

on May 13,2013 | 11:47AM

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hanalei395wrote:

"Barry wasn't born here". .......So? .....Don't worry about it.

on May 13,2013 | 02:33PM

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Kianawrote:

Agree

on May 13,2013 | 04:39PM

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nontaister1wrote:

Blacks still don't "fit in" in Hawaii....

on May 13,2013 | 05:31AM

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yrusodzwrote:

some do, some don't, some Asians don't "fit", some Hawaiians don't "fit"...it's all about your attitude. Some people don't fit no matter where they are, they will always find something wrong with the way they're treated, and the one place they never bother to look is inside themselves.

all-lies I was specifically speaking of people like you. No matter where you are you wouldn't "fit".

on May 13,2013 | 09:51AM

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cunfuzd4wrote:

it depends, I work with a couple of "Blacks" and they fit quite well. If you hit up people with a low class mentality you will get what you give, that's all there is to it

on May 13,2013 | 09:56AM

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cunfuzd4wrote:

this should have been further up but wound up below after "submitted for approval"

on May 13,2013 | 09:57AM

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Toop_Minakiwrote:

at least yours came back, alot of other people say theirs never do. SA servers get overwhelmed easliy and posts end up all over. That or too many posts chastising allie at the same time hit their server. ;=)

on May 13,2013 | 10:13AM

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BoneDrywrote:

allie, go away! take the week off! you're like someone on the line waiting for a wave with bleeding cuts all over your feet!!

on May 13,2013 | 10:29AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

Nicely put

on May 13,2013 | 11:48AM

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Kianawrote:

Good comment.

on May 13,2013 | 04:40PM

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falsewrote:

Change that to "never fit in" in Hawaii.

on May 13,2013 | 09:12AM

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cunfuzd4wrote:

it depends, I work with a couple of "Blacks" and they fit quite well. If you hit up people with a low class mentality you will get what you give, that's all there is to it

on May 13,2013 | 09:53AM

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cunfuzd4wrote:

"submitted for approval"? Seriously?

on May 13,2013 | 09:55AM

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Toop_Minakiwrote:

non - it's like anything else...if you fit or not it's up to you. Granted there are people everywhere that will hate just because, but it's nowhere as bad as most major cities in the US

on May 13,2013 | 10:07AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

They fit in just fine.

on May 13,2013 | 11:48AM

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Bdpapawrote:

He was a Punahou brat. I don't care what color he is. That's irrelevant. But most Punahou kids, not all, are detached from the rest of the population. It may have changed, but the view is that the only local kids were good athletes otherwise they be going to Washington Intermediate instead of Punahou.

on May 13,2013 | 05:46AM

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kuewawrote:

If I remember correctly about where he lived, the future President would have attending Niu Valley Intermediate and Kalani HS (no Kaiser yet back then) if his grandmother hadn't worked to put him in Punahou.

on May 13,2013 | 05:16PM

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Bdpapawrote:

True! But there was no way he was going to public school.

on May 13,2013 | 08:15PM

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Maneki_Nekowrote:

"President Obama is not an angry black man from Chicago. I mean, give me a break, he's a Hawaiian...

I wonder if he got his Kana'iolowalu tee shirt yet?

on May 13,2013 | 06:19AM

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Bdpapawrote:

He cannot even say Kana'lolowalu! You funny.

on May 13,2013 | 06:39AM

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Maneki_Nekowrote:

Hey, where's Hanalei395?

She hasn't chimed in about Mr. Obama being a Hawaiian.

on May 13,2013 | 08:49AM

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hanalei395wrote:

There's no she, there is a he. Non-Hawaiians can be called "Hawaiian", if the person being called that doesn't mind.

I don't think a Hawaiian would call a non-Hawaiian...a "Hawaiian". But if a non-Hawaiian calls another non-Hawaiian a "Hawaiian"....it depends on how the one being called that takes it. It could be a compliment, or, if this person is a white supremacist, an insult.

on May 13,2013 | 04:38PM

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Maneki_Nekowrote:

Remember the election when Bob Marx said he was "Hawaiian at heart" and everybody went bat cr@p crazy about how dare this guy call himself Hawaiian?

on May 13,2013 | 04:43PM

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falsewrote:

As if Hawaii didn't already have enough bad publicity... now we get blamed, sorry, I mean "get credit" for making President Obama what he is today? LOL LOL LOL

on May 13,2013 | 06:59AM

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Bdpapawrote:

:)

on May 13,2013 | 07:27AM

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honopicwrote:

You don't get "credit" for anything but showing your own ignorance. At least you chose an appropriate screen name.

on May 13,2013 | 08:45AM

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falsewrote:

Correction: We (at least half a dozen "falses") did not choose our screen name. Rather, our original screen names were changed by the SA for whatever reason unknown to us. Complaining to SA is useless. You figure.

on May 13,2013 | 05:25PM

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9ronbozwrote:

My only wish is this becomes good pr for Hawaii.

on May 13,2013 | 07:31AM

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cwo4usn1wrote:

One question: If Obama was born in Hawaii, and went to school at Punahou, when did he leave Hawaii and how many times did he visit prior to being elected as Prez? Just because he vacations (expensive vacations at taxpayer expense) every Christmas, does not make him a Native Son. My daughter was born at Tripler and has lived in Hawaii 13 of her 24 years. She's more Native Daughter than BHO is Native Son.

on May 13,2013 | 07:47AM

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honopicwrote:

There is no law in this country that you have to stay in the state where you were borrn for your whole life. And there is no "more" native or "less" native. Born in Hawai'i = native to Hawai'i.

on May 13,2013 | 08:47AM

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gaylecwrote:

He is a disgrace to the country so how can he help us here in Hawaii?

on May 13,2013 | 07:48AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

Well gaylick I beg to differ.

on May 13,2013 | 11:52AM

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mrlukewrote:

Sounds like Gloria Borland studied at the Michael Moore school of documentary making!

on May 13,2013 | 07:50AM

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mrlukewrote:

The "Beer Summit"! What a croc. The police officer (who had been maligned by Barry) had no choice but to accept the "invitation" and take part in the charade!

on May 13,2013 | 07:55AM

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Mypualaniwrote:

What you mean? Everyone has a choice the policeman maligned himself for not checking to see who the BLACK MAN was.you trying o make the cop into a victim of a charade. What a whinny crybaby you birthers/ haters are. It's too late he won now move on....

on May 13,2013 | 11:57AM

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mrlukewrote:

Huh! The police office was maligned for trying to check the ID of someone neighbors reported as suspicious. All the BLACK prof had to do was show him some ID in a civil manner, but instead, tried to make a stupid racial issue out of it. Barry's first response to it was that "He didn't know what happened, but the cop was wrong". BTW, why was Barry involved in such a local story? So - Barry decided to play the race card, and stuck with his his bro, the professor, even though he stated that he really didn't know what had actually happened. BTW, @$$---, I AM NOT a birther, and stop questioning anyone who disagrees with him as such!! AND - we all know that he won, and we're all trying to move on!! People like you cannot stand any legitimate political disagreement!

on May 13,2013 | 06:47PM

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mrlukewrote:

The "Beer Summit"! What a cr0c! The police officer (who had been maligned by Barry) had no choice but to accept the "invitation and take part in the charade! (2nd try - hope this meets with "approval".)

on May 13,2013 | 07:57AM

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Maneki_Nekowrote:

I guess this means we have a lock on that Library, eh?

on May 13,2013 | 08:10AM

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Royabellwrote:

what makes her think she got it right.

on May 13,2013 | 08:36AM

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boya_jrwrote:

I'm interested in seeing this movie when it comes out. Thanks!

on May 13,2013 | 09:05AM

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SteveToowrote:

Nothing for the State to be proud of. That's for sure.

on May 13,2013 | 09:07AM

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Morimotowrote:

Obama's a native son of Hawaii just as I am a native son of California (where I was born). Despite Obama and I supposedly being from the same state, I hold no pride over him being the President of the U.S. I'd be more proud of him if he closed Guantanamo like he promised.

on May 13,2013 | 09:48AM

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konag43wrote:

he is not a native of hawaii. to be a native of hawaii you have to have hawaiian blood he does not have any hawaiian blood. it was a coinsidence he was born here.

Would that include you and about 80% of the people posting here? Is THAT what YOU are saying?

on May 13,2013 | 04:07PM

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AhiPokewrote:

"President Obama is not an angry black man from Chicago. I mean, give me a break, he's a Hawaiian, with a Hawaiian temperament," - I don't know who Borland is but, IMO, he's not Hawaiian and he is "an angry black man from Chicago". He may have been born here but, based on actions, he's become more of a Chicago politician.

on May 13,2013 | 10:16AM

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BoneDrywrote:

People, whether or not you agree with his politics he was born here and did spend a good deal of his formative years here. Is there not a sense of happiness when someone from the "hometown" reaches a pinnacle of their profession?

on May 13,2013 | 10:48AM

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kispestwrote:

Should be "The native son of Kenya".

on May 13,2013 | 10:54AM

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BoneDrywrote:

Wow, I thought the "birther" thing was settled. Are you still claiming that the President's birth certificate was a forgery? Do you have any sort of proof or contrary documented fact? Or is it just that you hate African Americans? Also were you recently abducted by aliens and abused? Did the MIB come and rescue you?

on May 13,2013 | 11:59AM

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Skylerwrote:

It was settled, but you look rather foolish 'assuming' that the OP 'hates African Americans.'

on May 13,2013 | 01:15PM

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LanaUlulaniwrote:

Exactly. Obama is NOT Hawaiian !

on May 13,2013 | 02:08PM

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JAFOwrote:

Beer summit, Doctor's in lab coats, kid standing by his side while he signs Affordable Care Act (AKA Obama Care), he does have the hollywood prop act down. A good pitchman. Got voters here fooled. But then again, lemmings of hawaii don't look at issues or position. just party and race. Malahini making film on another Malahini.

on May 13,2013 | 11:26AM

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Maili2wrote:

Lol. I was at the beach one Christmas and I got ID'd by his men when he was on vacation here. I guess I look suspicious being a pretty small woman and all! I just laughed and said, "I don't bring my ID to the beach, are you crazy? Where am I gonna put it when I go in swimming?"...duh!

on May 13,2013 | 11:41AM

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lee1957wrote:

"Barack Obama: Made in Hawaii" because "Up in Smoke" was already taken.

on May 13,2013 | 11:52AM

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Skylerwrote:

*snort*

on May 13,2013 | 01:09PM

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LanaUlulaniwrote:

Here we go again. Obama misappropriating the KOKO and the IWI and claiming them as his own.

Contrary to his LIES and PROPAGANDA, Obama is NOT HAWAIIAN nor a "native son."

The TRUE Native Sons are those local males like my brothers, cousins, and former classmates who work their a## off just to get ahead in Hawai'i yet are still treated as though they are 3rd class citizens in their own homeland!

on May 13,2013 | 02:05PM

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kuewawrote:

Since you repeat your previous comment, I will repeat my reply to you: The President wasn't exactly born into an ali`i family. He was raised by his grandparents in an apartment in Kuliouou, his grandmother sacrificed a lot to pay for his Punahou tuition. And you should know as well as I do that popolos definitely do not have any advantages in Hawai`i. So yeah, auwe for your friends and relatives if what you say is true, but no need talk stink about the President. I also have relatives and friends who work and work but cannot be President, but they don't sit around and complain about being 3rd class citizens or deny others their birthright.

on May 13,2013 | 03:22PM

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haleiwalad1wrote:

I am consistently amazed at the dumbing-down, uninformed and shoot-from-the-hip, cheap-shot, crackpots that weigh in and reveal themselves as pseudo-intellectual bozos. Anybody recognize themselves, in my words? 'Cmon, show yourselves...

on May 13,2013 | 03:42PM

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haleiwalad1wrote:

Excellent perspective/article. I'm sure the nay-sayers and haters who have already posted today can provide equally impressive education and occupational résumés as BO....and he's not even done yet. Shame on you for not supporting his upbringing and his unique, aloha orientation. What have you got to show for time and space you have taken up in the aina?

on May 13,2013 | 03:30PM

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Bi1lMewrote:

Whenever I have travelled to Hawaii in the past, I have been impressed not only by the beauty of the islands, but by the people and their kindness and good nature. Obviously, that was just for show. Reading some of the comments about the President, and the outright lies, is a sad day for me. I know well of Obama's background and his early years in Hawaii. But some of the statements and outright distortions printed here are disgusting, besides being totally untrue.
I once entertained dreams of retiring to Hawaii. If some of the people writing in to lie about the President are indicative of the local populace, I doubt I'll be setting foot in Hawaii again. For shame.

on May 13,2013 | 04:56PM

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kuewawrote:

I suspect (hope?) that some, perhaps most, of the trolling is by non-locals. For shame is right. At the very least, we should have respect for our President and speak truthfully about him.

on May 13,2013 | 05:24PM

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mrlukewrote:

We all have respect for the Office of the President, but he is apparently the very first one, in 130 years, that we are not allowed to criticize or question, lest we be branded as intolerant!

on May 13,2013 | 06:59PM

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kuewawrote:

Honest criticism is always acceptable. Throwing out false factoids and accusations show disrespect.

on May 14,2013 | 12:41AM

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Paloha99wrote:

You know...as a native Hawaiian, born and raised on Hawaiian Homstead I am amazed sometimes at how people come to adopt the Hawaiian culture as their own. It's quite touching. However, I'm not too sure that these people can honestly and accurately speak about it intelligently to where they make movies. I suggest she do better research. Malia is not a traditional Hawaiian name no matter how many girls have it in Hawaii. I didn't know one girl named Malia growing up in Waianae. The term 'chop suey' is not something people in Hawaii call themselves, joking or not. Its a silly term with no meaning. And finally, the term Hapa was typically used to refer to half and half, i.e hapa haole. Hapa isnt referring to a multi mix or races. If these silly 'facts' are used as a basis for a movie on Obama and his Hawaiian connection, it should be animated like Lilo and Stitch.

on May 13,2013 | 05:49PM

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mrlukewrote:

OK, He was born here and spent a few years of his youth here, as well as in Indonesia. He's now 50 years old, and adopted Chicago as his home. He comes back once a year, since he's been prez, at taxpayer expense, for an Xmas holiday. A REAL NATIVE SON!

on May 13,2013 | 06:54PM

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BigErnwrote:

This piece of fecal matter will be impeached for his lies and cover-ups regarding Benghazi and the IRS. Just a matter of time.

on May 13,2013 | 07:52PM

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kuewawrote:

Mshalo for illustrating my response to mrluke in the previous comment. Your comment is a perfect example of disrespect for the leader of our country (I assume that you are American).